Hostages
by Voyager Tip
Summary: Phineas and Jeffrey land in the middle of a hostage situation.
1. Hostages

**Hostages**

The landing was softer than usual, but the first sounds Bogg heard ripped through him. There was terror here. He quickly scanned for Jeffrey and saw him trying to untangle himself from some packing materials. He took in the surrounding scene, every sense heightened by the screams that were quickly dying down.

The room was cluttered with tables and boxes. About a dozen people stood stock still in terror while a man in the center held a semi automatic weapon. He was pointing it at a man lying too still on the floor before him.

All this Bogg assessed in the few seconds it took Jeffrey to finally stand up. He was standing several feet in front of him, between Bogg and the gunman. Bogg could see him tense up, sensing the danger he was in as soon as he was upright. Bogg inched forward as slowly as he could, his eyes locked on the man holding the weapon. He was looking away from them and shouted at someone kneeling in another corner of the room.

In the space of 3 heartbeats, Bogg quietly but forcefully put his hand on Jeff's shoulder from behind and pulled him back, at the same time taking a step forward and to the side so that they had traded places. Bogg was now between Jeff and the gun. The gunman's attention was still absorbed by the other corner of the room. Not wanting to waste this opportunity, Bogg turned slightly and put his finger to his lips with one hand and with the other pushed Jeff a bit roughly, down and under the table they stood beside. He had noticed a short filing cabinet under the end of the table nearest the gunman and wanted Jeff behind it in case bullets started to fly.

He continued to take stock of his surroundings. One man was dead, and a mix of men, a women and one child stood clustered together in the room. There was one door, close to him at the moment, and one window on the opposite side of the room. He cringed as he heard several shots ring out and saw the man in the corner slump to the floor. His heart pounding against his ribs, he slowly unhooked the Omni from his belt and flipped it open, July 2, 1968, Los Angeles, California, red light. The date didn't ring any bells with him, he wondered if it would with Jeff. Very slowly he bent his knees until he could reach under the table. He hoped Jeff would be there and take it or he'd have to put it down on the floor and hope he found it. He knew he had to give Jeff an escape route from this horrible place.

Suddenly he felt someone take it and a small hand squeeze his tightly for scarcely a second. He felt a sudden lump in his throat. He squeezed back, hoping to somehow convey in that one act how much he loved Jeffrey, just in case he didn't get out of this.

He stood up, calmer and thinking clearly. He assumed he had to stop the gunman from killing any more people, but how? He stood still and quiet letting the scene calm down. In truth, he had only been here about a minute, though it had seemed a lifetime. Their entrance from above had been missed because the horror of the shootings had everyone's attention. Though there had been plenty of sound, shouting, screaming and general noise, he hadn't heard any words clearly enough to help him figure out what was happening. He decided to stay quiet to try to figure things out. That was often better, in the long run, than rushing into uncertainty.

"All a'ya," the gunman shouted, "over there," and he swung the gun around, using it to point to where he wanted everyone to go. Slowly, the others began moving to the corner of the room he had indicated. This was where the first dead man lay, away from the door and window, away from Jeffrey. He hated to do it, he wanted to stay close to Jeff, but the gunman didn't know Jeff was there, and he was glad to see that Jeff's position wasn't too far from the door. Maybe he could manage to get out. If things got too bad, he could Omni out, but Bogg would worry about his safety wherever he landed. He had given Jeff explicit instructions never to omni away from him unless there was absolutely no choice for that very reason. With his heart continuing to pound in his chest, he moved with the others into the far corner of the room. The gunman moved to the side of the window and peeked out, careful to keep the gun pointed at the hostages in the corner.

Suddenly another man entered the room quickly. Bogg's insides shook as he watched him walk past the table where Jeff was hidden. From that angle, he would be able to see Jeffrey. Bogg closed his eyes and exhaled as the second gunman approached the first. Apparently he hadn't seen anything.

"This is the police, the building is surrounded. We know you're in there with hostages. We're trying to establish contact by phone," the voice, magnified by an amplifier seemed like it surrounded them.

Almost as soon as the voice stopped, a phone rang in the room. The second gunman moved to pick it up. Bogg and the others could only hear his half of the conversation. What they heard hung in the air.

"I'll start killing these people one by one if you don't get me that money, a car to get to the airport, and a helicopter I can fly out of here." He paused, "I can see out front and I want to see a car ready to go. Then we'll talk about me letting some of these people leave." Another pause, "there's a kid in here, and he'll be first."

The woman beside Bogg clutched the child close to her, "please, not my son." The boy looked a little younger than Jeff and Bogg's heart went out to the mother.

Bogg stepped in front of them and faced the gunman, "you don't want to kill a kid," Bogg said, taking a gamble. He paused, swallowing hard as he looked down the barrel of the gun pointing at his chest. "Why don't you let him go, him and his mother," he whispered, his mouth suddenly very dry.

The gunman raised the rifle and aimed at Phineas.


	2. More Human

Chapter 2 **More Human**

The silence was palpable as the hostages stood waiting for one of the gunman to speak.

"What's your name?" the voice could be heard coming from the phone in the second gunman's hand. The first gunman kept his gun aimed at Bogg's chest as the second brought the phone to his ear.

"Lucas," he said.

Bogg stood his ground though his insides were shaking. He was trying to remember everything he had learned at Voyager Academy about hostage situations. This was a considerable amount since Susan hadn't been in that class with him and he'd always been more interested in human interactions than historical dates. He knew the negotiator on the phone would be trying to get to know the hostage taker. That the idea was to make them all, hostages and hostage takers seem more human. This was why he'd stepped in front of the mother and son, her pleading and his action together, made the child seem more human, harder to kill. Those you never interacted with could be killed much more easily. He remembered studying a hostage situation on a train, where the hostage had prayed for his wife and son as he knelt in front of the gunman, waiting to be shot. The hostage takers threw him and his family off the train instead, and then shot and killed the other hostages. The man and his family survived, the hostage takers later revealed that it was too emotional for them to kill that family. However, the remaining hostages were killed without a second thought, or later remorse.

Bogg was also pretty sure there was a sharpshooter or two with rifles aimed at the window, ready to kill if they could get a clear shot at both of the gunman. He didn't think they'd just shoot one, because the remaining one might kill the hostages if that happened. There may even be officers already inside the building making their way toward the room they were in. He remembered learning that the longer a hostage situation lasted, the better the outcome was likely to be. If they could just postpone any more bloodshed, Bogg knew their odds of survival would improve.

"If I send out the kid, what'll you do for me?" Lucas spoke into the phone. There was silence. "We need food, and water," another pause. "After we get the food and water," he finished and hung up. "In one hour we get some food and water, then we'll send out the kid," he said.

"Are you sure about that?" the first gunman asked, his gun still pointed at Bogg's chest.

Lucas nodded, he motioned to Bogg, "he's right Ray, nobody wants to see a kid get killed."


	3. One Less

Chapter 3** One Less**

So they waited. The hostages were ordered to sit down on the floor and the gunman sat in chairs. Bogg didn't like being so low to the ground with the threat towering above him, but had no choice. He wished he could talk to Jeffrey. He could image how scared he was, alone under that table. He stole a glance in Jeff's direction every so often but couldn't see anything. That was probably a good thing. If Jeff could stay put and stay quiet, he'd be safe.

An hour later, Lucas left the room and returned with two boxes and a jug. He immediately poured himself and his partner a drink, then unwrapped a sandwich. The presence of the water in the room made Bogg realize how thirsty he was. He also worried about how thirsty Jeff would be. Their last voyage had been in a hot climate. Had he made Jeff drink enough before they omnied out? He didn't think so and he felt terrible as he thought about it.

As the other hostages became restless, the gunman told them they could each have one drink and gave them one cup at a time. The phone rang and Lucas picked it up again. "Yeah, we're doing it now," he put the phone down on the desk and walked over to the child. He grabbed the boy's arm and jerked him up and away from his mother. She had explained to him why he had to leave and he struggled to keep a calm expression. He did have tears on his cheeks, but they were silent. Bogg exhaled as he was dragged away, shoved out into the corridor and told to run. There was one less person in danger.


	4. The View From Under the Table

**Chapter 4 The View From Under the Table**

Jeff landed hard on several boxes that collapsed under his weight. As he struggled to stand up he heard terrified cries around him. Once standing, he realized that a man had just been killed. He froze, his insides shaking, unable to look away from the gunman, even to find Bogg.

Suddenly he felt a firm hand on his shoulder, pulling him backwards. He stepped back quietly and suddenly Bogg was in front of him, blocking his view of the gunman. In one fluid motion, he felt himself pushed down roughly so he was suddenly under a table facing the side of a small filing cabinet. Then the hand was gone and he was alone, kneeling under the table, his heart pounding. He quickly realized that he was behind a metal cabinet and much safer than he'd been just a moment ago. Bogg had pushed him into the safest place available. He felt himself calming down, though he had no idea what to do. Suddenly he saw a hand shoving the omni in his direction and realized what Bogg was doing. He wanted Bogg to have it, he'd be in more danger out there, Jeff was protected here under the table, behind the cabinet. But he'd been voyaging with Bogg long enough to know that this was no time to argue or even discuss any other course. He took the omni and reached up and squeezed Bogg's hand to let him know he understood. When Bogg squeezed back, Jeff felt tears in his eyes. He was terrified that Bogg would be hurt, or worse. He didn't want to even let the thoughts form in his mind. Suddenly, the hand was gone and Jeff was alone again.

He checked the date, hooked the omni onto his belt and wiped his eyes. He told himself he'd have to be calm and think, then took stock of his surroundings. A black tarp was crumpled up against his feet. It would keep him hidden if anyone looked under the table, so he pulled it up to cover the lower half of his body and continued to look around. He leaned back against the cabinet. There was an air duct opening in the wall on his right, an old crumpled up lunch bag and a pencil on the floor at the other end of the table. To his left, he saw Bogg's legs for only a second and when Bogg walked away, he could see the door to the hallway was open and about 6 feet away.

He listened to the conversation in the room and heard Bogg arguing for the child's life. He didn't need to see in order to know that Bogg had put himself in front of the gun and he knew that man had already killed today, twice. His whole body shook as he listened. Finally it seemed that both Bogg and the kid were out of danger and food and water were on the way.

He pulled the black tarp higher when the second gunman left to get the food and water. It was very hot and when he could hear the hostages drinking, Jeff realized how thirsty he felt. He watched as the boy ran out of the room and a few seconds later, was startled to see another person with a rifle in the hall. He started shaking when he realized they had seen him too.


	5. Jeff's Note

Chapter 5 **Jeff's Note**

As Jeff watched the man outside the door, he realized it was a police officer. The officer held up a hastily drawn sign and Jeff squinted to read it. "How many?"

Jeff's mind went into overdrive. He crawled to the paper bag and picked up the pencil, then silently scooted back to his spot behind the filing cabinet. He peeked above the cabinet, between it and the bottom of the table and took stock of everyone in the room. He might be scared to death, but this was something he could do. He started to write on the bag. When he was done, he ripped the bag as quietly as he could, around where he'd written and balled it up. He watched both gunmen carefully, and when their eyes were pointed in the other direction, he tossed the crumpled paper through the door into the hall. The officer picked it up and moved out of site. 

Tom Porter watched the kid move to where the paper bag was and could almost see the gears working in his brain. Once in awhile, you ran into a situation like this, one where you could get inside information about the situation without the hostage takers knowing. But he'd never had this type of situation with a child involved. He wondered what the kid was writing and if he was smart enough to get the message out without being spotted.

He watched the balled up scrap of paper land in the hallway close to him and reached to pick it up. Quickly, he unfolded the paper and read it.

_ 2 gunman  
__ Hostages -5 men, 3 alive, 2 dead, 1 woman, 1 boy about 9 yrs old  
__ I'm very hot and thirsty - Jeff_

As the officer saw the crude floor plan drawn under the writing, he smiled. It even showed where each person in the room was located. They might not be there for long, but it showed the kid wasn't panicking and made the rest of the information more credible. He passed it to his partner and motioned him to get it outside to the Captain and Hostage Negotiator.

Tom would stay put and try to ensure that the kid stayed safe.


	6. Bogg's Strategy

Chapter 6** Bogg's Strategy**

The phone rang again, and this time Ray picked it up and Lucas took over guarding the hostages. Phineas looked up at him from his position on the floor and decided to speak.

"Letting the kid go was a good thing to do," he said, making sure his body position looked relaxed and non-threatening. Even though he was in a subordinate position on the floor, he remembered the high emotions that existed in situations like this. The gunman could decide to kill or wound any of them, at any time, for any reason, especially if he thought the situation wasn't going to end well for him.

"Mm," Lucas grunted in answer, staring at Bogg.

"You could let his parents go too." Bogg said this quietly. He didn't know if one of the remaining men was the boy's father, but it was a way to get two more people out. When the gunman didn't answer, Bogg continued. "My best friend is an orphan, and you never get over it. You don't want to make him an orphan, do you?"

Lucas pointed the gun at Bogg again and Bogg turned his gaze to the floor. It was the only non-threatening thing he could think of doing. He held his breath and waited, hoping he wouldn't be shot.

"They say it'll take longer," Ray said to Lucas. Bogg had determined that Lucas was in the dominant role, and this confirmed it. "What should I tell them?" Ray continued.

Lucas frowned and lowered the gun slightly, "tell them when I see the car outside, I'll release the boy's parents," he said.

Bogg exhaled. It wasn't much, but it showed that Lucas could be reached, and maybe two more people could get out. As he looked up, he saw a quick movement near the table. He moved his eyes toward the gunman, leaving his head in the same position to verify that they hadn't seen it. A smile played on his lips when he realized that Jeff had just tossed something out into the hall. The kid was always doing something that surprised Bogg, he wondered what he was up to. He sat and pondered this, coming up with a variety of ideas. He felt the most likely was that someone from the police department had gotten into the building and was in fact just outside the door. He wished he could know what their next actions would be so he could help.

All of this passed through Phineas' mind as Ray relayed the request for the car to the hostage negotiator.


	7. The Goodness In People

Chapter 7** The Goodness in People**

An hour later, the July sun was beating down on their side of the building and through the window. Phineas didn't know the temperature, but everyone was sweating. The stench from the bodies in the corner was stronger. The water had been finished a long time ago. The phone rang again and Lucas picked it up, while Ray continued to watch them all.

"They say the car's there, check on it," Lucas said to Ray.

"Yep, it is," Ray answered moving to the window to get a look at the front of the building.

"Alright, we'll send them out," Lucas said to the phone. "The kids parent's should walk out now," he ordered the hostages.

To Bogg's relief, there was no problem with who to send out. The hostages had silently agreed amongst themselves on a "husband" for the boy's mother. One of the men had been closer to her age and the other an older gentlemen. The younger man walked out with the boy's mother, both of them giving Phineas a grateful look as they left. Now it was just Phineas and the older man.

"More than one hostage is too much trouble," the older man said to Lucas, "send him out too," he motioned to Bogg as he spoke.

Bogg's jaw dropped open. This man was willing to sacrifice himself to allow him to go free. He smiled to himself at this selfless act. He was always amazed at the goodness in people. As his gaze strayed to the two dead bodies that were pushed against the wall, he thought how odd it was for him to be thinking about how good people could be, at this particular time. As he thought about it, he realized again that bad experiences sometimes bring out the best in people, as though hardship was needed to bring kindness into the world.

Suddenly he heard a thud and the room began to fill with smoke. He got into a crouched position as quietly as he could, unsure what would happen, but wanting to be ready. He heard one shot and saw Ray fall back away from the window. Lucas looked stunned, and in that instant Phineas pushed off the floor and launched himself across the desk, tackling him.


	8. The Heat

**Chapter 8 The Heat**

Jeff was having trouble focusing on the sign the officer was holding up outside the door. It was very hot. He had stripped off his shirt and crawled out from under the tarp, not caring any longer if he was seen. He lay down on the bare floor, it was cool and felt good against his skin. He closed his eyes. He didn't care what the officer was trying to communicate to him.

Before he could process the smell of smoke, he heard the gun shot and cried out softly, terrified that Bogg had been hurt. But it was nothing to what he heard next. He started sobbing, and he couldn't stop himself when he heard the automatic weapon begin firing. It fired continuously, perhaps a hundred bullets were fired before it stopped and Jeff's cries went unheard because of the noise.


	9. The Last Hostage

Chapter 9 The Last Hostage

Phineas landed hard on Lucas and pushed the gun sideways toward the dead bodies piled on top of each other against the wall. Lucas had pulled the trigger and was holding it so the bullets made a trail down the wall to the floor. Phineas put all his strength into keeping Lucas' gun pointing at the bodies and keeping the pressure on the trigger. He was almost sure the other hostage had not been hit, and if he could just empty the gun, the threat would be a lot less.

Suddenly he saw a handgun pointed at Lucas' temple and heard a man's loud voice. "Stop, police."

Several pairs of hands pulled him off Lucas and he realized the room was full of police officers and the smoke was disappearing quickly. He stood up, dizzy from the heat and lack of water, and shaking. The smell from the decaying bodies made him feel nauseated.

"What's your name, sir?" one of the officers asked him, but he turned away.

"Jeff," he whispered as he coughed, and rushed to the spot under the table where he'd pushed Jeffrey so long ago. Another officer was already there, tending to him. He had a bucket of ice and one of water and was sponging Jeff down.

Phineas fell to his knees and grabbed Jeff's shirt from where he had discarded it. He put it into the water bucket and began working with the officer to wet Jeff's body to cool him off.

Jeff's eyes fluttered open and the man handed Bogg a cup of water, "have him drink," was the terse instruction, but Phineas didn't need to be told. He gently lifted Jeff's head and held the cup to his lips.

"Drink this Jeff," he said softly and Jeff gulped down the whole cup.

"That's good," the officer said. "Give him a few minutes and then give him this one," he indicated another cup of cool water he had just poured.

Jeff held out his arms toward Bogg and he didn't need any invitation.

As Bogg lifted Jeffrey onto his lap and switched to a seated position on the floor, a man appeared in the shadows of the room, not too far away. His appearance was silent and he was not noticed by anyone. He tilted his head to the side and strained to hear their soft conversation.

"I thought you were dead," Jeff's voice was hoarse, his throat still felt incredibly dry.

"I'm okay," Phineas whispered as he held Jeff close to him with his left arm and continued putting the cool water on him with his right. "I was scared for you, it was so hot. Here," he said, picking up the cup and holding it up to Jeff's lips again, "drink some more."

They sat together and Phineas gave Jeff a drink every few minutes, and wiped him down in between times. Slowly they both calmed down and Jeff finally sat up and looked at Phineas.

"You drink now," he said offering him the cup Phineas had just poured for him.

Phineas smiled, took it and drank, and they began sharing the water.

"Hey, my shirt!" Jeff exclaimed, just realizing what Bogg had been using to cool him off.

"It needed to be washed anyway," Phineas joked and wrung it out over Jeff's head. The man in the shadows couldn't stop the smile from coming to his lips.

Jeff glared at him, but couldn't be angry, so he smiled, took the damp shirt and pulled it over his head. "That's better," he said.

Phineas handed him another cup of water, "keep drinking, and I should get you to a cooler place," he said glancing around.

"How about some information now?" It was the same police officer who had been caring for Jeff when Phineas had finally gotten to him.

"Thanks a lot for helping Jeff get cooled off," Bogg said.

"No problem, I took a lengthy statement from the other gentlemen, and the hostages who were allowed to leave, so I have a pretty good idea about what happened, but I do need a little information," the officer said.

"Hey, you were the one holding up the signs in the hall," Jeff interrupted.

"Yes, and your information helped us very much," he turned to Bogg, "you should be very proud of your son, he gave us important information about what was happening in there. The Captain planned the assault using it."

Bogg smiled and put his hand on Jeff's shoulder, "I am."  
As he answered a few questions for the officer, Jeff unhooked the omni and checked it, then turned it so Phineas could see the green light.

"You got any idea what we did to make it green?" Bogg asked him after the officer left.

Jeff shrugged, "not this time."

The man continued to stand in the shadows taking it all in.


	10. The Red Light

**Chapter 10 The Red Light**

"Just let me talk to him," they heard a man's voice and turned toward it. It was the older man, the last hostage, the one who had offered to sacrifice himself for Bogg. He knelt beside them.

"How's your son?" he asked Bogg.

"He'll be fine. Listen, thanks for your offer, to let me leave," he said holding out his hand.

The man took it and they shook warmly. "You know, it's easy to get cynical, especially in the city, and when you deal with charity." He paused, "I want you to know that your actions have inspired me to continue with my work. I was about to dissolve the Foundation, but you've reminded me how much good there is in regular people." He paused again, "I know you didn't know any of those people you helped get out of here. Why did you put yourself in front of that gun?"

Phineas stared at him, then back at Jeff, unsure what to say. "It needed to be done," he said finally.

"Who are you?" Jeffrey interrupted.

"Nelson Rockefeller," the stranger answered, extending a hand to Jeffrey, "and I hear you had a hand in our rescue too."

Jeff smiled, "I just did what they asked me to do," he replied.

"Well," he handed his card to Phineas, "if you ever need anything, give me a call." Then he got up and left.

"Drink," Phineas told Jeff, handing him another glass before he could make a comment.

"Bogg, he's one of the richest men who ever lived. His family gave money for lots of good works all over the country," Jeff said after he drank the water.

"Do you think he was the red light?" Bogg asked doubtfully.

Jeff shrugged, "it's too bad we can't know how many red lights there were here, isn't it?"

"I guess as long as it's green now, I'm okay with it, but I do want to get you to a cooler room for a good long rest. I'm sorry I didn't make sure you drank enough after our last voyage. I should've made sure you drank enough," Phineas admitted shaking his head.

Jeff stared at him in disbelief, then concern, "right now I think you'd better drink," he said as he poured another cup of water and handed it to Bogg.

Phineas drank, then poured another and drank that. "I guess we both need a rest, let's get out of here."

They stood up and Jeff started walking into the room, but Phineas moved in front of him, blocking the way. "Oh no you don't."

The man in the shadows straightened up, paying close attention.

"Hey, I wanna see what happened," Jeff told Bogg in annoyance.

Phineas shook his head, "not this time," he whispered, thinking of how the bullets blew the bodies apart, and how the odor was getting stronger by the minute in the back corner of the room.

"But, I helped in the rescue, I've got a right to see what happened," Jeff argued, his curiosity peaked by Bogg's unwillingness to let him see farther into the room.

"No way. There's no reason for you to have a scene like that rattling around in your memory," Bogg said firmly.

"I'm a Voyager, I've got a right," Jeff began.

"I said no, that's final."

Jeff glared at him, then sighed loudly, "then this isn't really an equal partnership, is it?" he said sarcastically.

Phineas paused, "not this time kid, you gotta trust me on this, okay?"

The man standing quietly in the shadows couldn't take his eyes off them.


	11. The Man in the Shadows

_Author's Note: I added this chapter long after the story was published. I had to rework chapters 9 and 10 to fit the new ending. Some readers may need to go back to those chapters to learn about the changes. Sorry for any inconvenience._

Chapter 11 The Man in the Shadows

As Jeff stood beside him, he thought over the events of the day, and the man, mostly hidden in the shadows remembered too. He remembered how Bogg had pushed him under the table and handed him the omni. That Bogg had put himself in front of that gun. He remembered how he'd felt when he was recovering in Bogg's arms. He could still feel Bogg putting cool water on him until he'd felt better.

And the man, twenty-two year old Jeffrey Jones, could appreciate how Bogg had protected him from seeing this room too. Suddenly, he watched the boy turn to Bogg and put his arms around him. He knew what the boy was thinking, that he trusted Bogg and didn't need to see the room if Bogg didn't think it was a good idea. The boy had realized that as long as they were okay, and together, that was enough. The older Jeffrey watched as Bogg's arms wrapped around the younger one. He knew they were both thinking of somewhere cool, and quiet, and safe.

"Let's get outa here," Jeff finally said, and the man watched them leave the room together. The boy looked so small. It's funny, he thought, he had never felt small when he was with Bogg.

He shook his head and smiled. Life was funny. For so long he had wanted to know what Bogg hadn't let him see in this room, and now that he was here, there was only one thing he had really wanted to see. It was the two of them together, taking care of each other, like they always had, like they still did.

He reached in his pocket and took out a brand new shiny silver omni. He decided he'd give Bogg an extra long hug when they met for supper tonight, then pushed the button.

The End


End file.
